Selig mocks foes of TV deal

Commissioner says there are more than enough telecasts

March 04, 2007|By Paul Sullivan, Tribune staff reporter.

PHOENIX — Commissioner Bud Selig referred to the controversy over Major League Baseball's pending $700 million deal with DirecTV as "ridiculous" Saturday, saying most baseball fans have access to more than enough televised games.

Sen. John Kerry (D.-Mass.) has asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the proposed deal, which would move the Extra Innings package of out-of-market games from digital cable and satellite to DirecTV exclusively for the next seven years.

Thus, unless they have DirecTV, fans will be out of luck.

Speaking to reporters before Saturday's Cubs-A's game, Selig called it "a slight controversy, in some places."

He pointed out the deal is close to being completed but is not done.

"I've heard for years we have too much product out there," Selig said.

"Everywhere I've gone . . . there's no market that has less than 350 to 400 [televised] games, and some [like Chicago] have quite a bit more than that. We have an enormous amount of product out there.

"As for this deal, what fascinates me is I have spent a lot of time going over it and trying to find out who can't get [DirecTV].

"We're down now to such small numbers, that I'm really wondering [about the fuss].

" . . . In a year or two, when people understand the significance of this deal . . . everybody will understand it."

Evidently, that is, if they buy DirecTV.

Selig also said he was "concerned" about the report Los Angeles Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. allegedly was sent human growth hormone.

"I really do need to find out more information," he said. "All I know is what I've read in the papers. We have a lot of people doing a lot of checking, and I'll be anxious to find out the details."

Selig was asked his feelings about the Cubs' $300 million off-season spending spree, after reports he had taken Cubs management to task.

"I said I'd wait until this is all done to assess all that," Selig said. "The Cubs hear from me on things like this on a regular basis, which might be the understatement of the year. But . . . all of this is further manifestation that this sport has never been this strong. . . . It's amazing, we're just doing things I didn't conceive of five years ago."

In related news former Cubs President Andy MacPhail has been working on some special projects for MLB since leaving the organization, sources told the Tribune.

MacPhail, who worked extensively on the collective-bargaining agreement last year, could join MLB's operations department sometime this summer.